Thermionic valve holder



Jan. 3, 1950 s.- T. DEAKIN THERMIONIC VALVE HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 25, 1945 67hr? fey rDea lfl'n lnven Jan. 3, 1950 s. T. DEAKIN 2,493,658

THERMIONIC VALVE HOLDER Filed Nov. 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 If) yen To r Patented Jan. 3, 1950 THERMIONIC VALVE HOLDER Stanley Thomas Deakin, Ewell West, England, assignor to British Mechanical Productions Limited, Leatherhead, Surrey,

British company England, a

Application November 23, 1945, Serial No. 630,398 In Great Britain August 23, 1944 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires August 23, 1964 This invention relates to thermionic valve-holders of the type comprising an insulating body (referred to hereinafter as the barrel) formed with a number of openings (usually arranged as an annular series) extending parallel with the axis of the barrel and arranged to accommodate a corresponding number of one-piece metal contact elements, each of which is formed at one end as a socket or the like to receive a contact pin of the valve and at the other end with a tag or equivalent terminal to take a circuit wiring connection. For the purpose of securing a valveholder in position, e. g. to the chassis of a wireless set, it is customary to provide the barrel, at a position intermediate in its depth, with an attached flange-forming plate or saddle, usually of metal, in which apertures are formed to receive fixing screws or bolts.

In thermionic valve-holders of the type described, it has already been proposed to form each contact element as a strip having a narrow lower portion forming the tag or equivalent terminal and broader upper portion divided to form a pair of resilient legs fitting somewhat snugly into slot-like lateral extensions'of an axial barrel opening, the arrangement being such that on the insertion of a valve contact pin the legs will flex, not by spreading in the general plane of the contact element, but by a twisting movement in opposite directions out of that plane.

The present invention provides a thermionic valve-holder of the type described which is characterised in that each contact element comprises a metal strip having a lower portion forming the tag or equivalent terminal and an upper portion 5 Claims. (Cl; 173-328) which, intermediate in its length, is doubled back 7 (i. e. like a picture hook) so that a part thereof lies approximately in a plane parallel with but slightly spaced apart from the general plane containing the remainder of the contact element, the upper portion of the contact member being divided so that it forms two U-shaped members adapted to receive the contact pin of the valve between them. The bridge pieces of the U- shaped members may be shaped so that there is formed between them a substantially circular hole to receive the contact pin of the plug. The above arrangement provides, in relation to the prior proposal already referred to, an increased area of contact between the valve pin and the contact element. On insertion of a valve pin the resilient legs of the contact element yield by a simple spreading action without twisting movement.

According to a further feature of the invention each contact element is accommodated in :and secured to the insulating barrel in the following way. The axial opening in the barrel to receive the contact element is for the greater part of its length of uniform rectangular cross section, large enough to accommodate the doulbled back portion of the contact element. At the lower end of the axial opening the cross-section is reduced, forming a shoulder to act as an abutment for the shoulder which is formed by notching the contact element. The aperture remain- Ting at the lower end of the axial opening is in two side-by-side communicating parts, one of which is wide enough to pass the tag portion of the contact element, while the other part is of reduced width. The contact element immediate- ,ly below the doubled back portion thereof is notched at each side to reduce the width of the strip in that area to slightly less than that of the reduced width part of the aperture at the lower end of the axial opening. Each contact element is inserted, tag portion leading, into the barrel opening from the upper end of the barrel, the tag portion of the element being threaded through the wider part of the aperture at the lower end of the axial barrel opening. When the element has been pushed home to the full extent, the notched portion of the element is in register with the reduced width portion of the aperture at the lower end of the axial opening and the notched portion of the element is thus permitted to enter the reduced Width part of the aperture. It will in fact be sprung into this position by the pressure of 'the doubled back portion against the walls of the barrel by the notch and shoulder engagement already referred to.

In order that the invention may be well under stood, one form of construction of a thermionic valve-holder according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the insulating body or barrel of the holder;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof partly in section; V r 1 i a Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view;

Figure-i5'is angel e-vation of onepfthe contact elements of the -valve-holder, abridge-piece of one of the two U-shaped members constituting the upper portion of the contact element being shown in section; 7

Figure 6 is an elevation of the contact element taken at right-angles to Figii-re fi; a W

Figure '7 is an end view of the contact element; and

Figures 8 and 9 are plan and side views respectively of the completely assembled waive-holder, these views being drawn to a reduceds.ca1e.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, theinsulatinglbody V or barrel l of the valve-holder is .of generally cylindrical shape and is proved with an annular series of openings 2 of generally rectangular cross-section extendingjgaxially through the bar rel Ilirpnzi the front v fa ce or top face 3 thereof to arpoint near the bottom .or rear face 4 thereof, wheretheeqneningflisgreduced in section form- V lngashoulder Thereduced aperture thus iorm d at the lower end of the openin 2 is.in

two sid -presid c mmuni atin par 6 and fifi .1 and 4) Di whichthef ar s i w enou h Pass thetasrprti n f the mn (el ment Whi s the ptllrna is o educe wi th to term the shou de f the strin '3 is ada ted to rece t a lement p str i ts as shown i Fi ur s .5, 6 nd" 0f th d aw s and mpr si v meta Witter n a 10W? 11 998 l p n l t e-9 e i a e rm na and- ;12P? r i h h sio med w th a s o an ,i e bl a L pointintermediate the ends of the slot so as to "form two ushaped' members I ll and II separated by the slot "9 -'Where theslot 9 extends "between the bridge pieces of the members [0 and H, portionsof the material are pressed down'asshown at 12 so as'to widen the slot and to 'forma substantially circular hole to receive the contact-pin ofthe' val ve. The two arms of each' of the U-shaped members l0 and II are bowed towards one another so as to provide smooth contact surfaces adapted to grip the =valve pinbetween them and thus to provide a socket of extended area 'for making good contactwiththe valve pin. On-insertioh of valve pin, the U-shaped'members In and II spring spring apart to receive the pin and thus yield by -a simple spreading action without twisting movemen't.

The contact element is provided immediately l,

below the U-shaped-legs Ill and II' with two notches I3, one at each side of the strip, these notches'being shapedto receive the shoulder 5. Each contact elementis inserted, tag end leadi-ng, into the barrel opening! from the upper end of the barreL'the tag 8 being threaded through the aperture 6. Owing tothe resilience of the legs l0 and H of the contact member, the part -of'- the contact member in'which the notches l3 are formed tendsto spring laterally towards-the 4 of the barrel below the shoulder 5. After assembly of the contact element, the tag ends 8 may be bent over, for example as shown in Figure L1, to rfacilitate ;the operation of attaching lead wires to them and to spread-them out. It will be understood, however, that the contact elements are firmly secured in the barrel by the notch 'andshguldenengagement already referred to.

A metal saddle I1, attached to the barrel by means of four stuck-up tongues I6 engaging with grooves '15 in the barrel wall, provides a flangefiorgifirgingthe barrel to a support such as the chassis of 'a'wiieless set.

-I-claim:

.1. An=electrical socket contact element comprising a ggn etahstrip having an elongated slot eilil fi dipglengthwise of the strip intermediate in its'length and terminating in enlarged rounded ends-which strip is doubled over at a position intermediate in the length of the slot to provide twogsubstantially; paral1e1 spaced legs 7 connected -by a bridge it extendingacross the .-bridge-,piece and or @ssubstantial distance. along each leg todivide heTbridgepiece and-the ad- 'jcicflnt pqlfi tons ;erl egs into two parallel ,U-

shaped par d' ttthe enlarged ends of the slot, mi in strip has a pin-receiving aperturegin the-vb dge piece .formedby theslot the edges of lwhi h appropriated to the .two parts of the ;b ge me rovide @pimengaging n ac sump? wart h imparts of ithe-two-legs-for re lientlmovkement in the lateral directionrof the tripl byresilient. separa- ,Y --the by ben in of the --materia 1 :aro lendsof the sl ots.

2. An.-,el5 actr cal. 0. gt contact'elementcomprising a a a having an elon ated .slot

extending lengthwise of fthystrip intermediate s ubleld ,ove r at ca position length ,o'flthe slot to provide p allelispgaced lees connec ed hich legl lis extended of theslot to form .a the slot extending ,for. a.,subsilantial dis,- ivide the bridge-piece (ms .of the :legs into two Iowa brr,

be on a taskike t rm acr s ea parallel 1-, r v partsflconnected .at the cm larged ends at, and which Strip has a rins s-tir n a in the rid -T1 e e ed es or which approptwo arts {of :the bridgeepiece prog'a ng contacts supported respecpartspfl the two legs for resil- Lthe lateral direction of the paration of .theparts ,of the .legs by tbendingof the 'materiallaround th enrg dend ei l esl s- A h 'r e l yalvs hold r comp i in an in la n bpl in zne with mbr lofi a all lo gitudinally extend g nth u hway openin s,

each nfidl fi fi i 1? H. anumber of-elep r rs e se q imslai sl 9.9 as, each o whi electrical soaks; p wter elements comprises a m trin. h ri e fi e1 leI;gthv'visepftheLs'tripa i. and terminating Lin m g s1 ounded .en s,

at a position intermediate the length of ltheslot vto provide two 7 wh h st i settle-s 11 ll pacedlegs connected by l 2 23 9? sem r -l ck; as i 'ert i yond the nlarged' end ofthe slot to form agtagike t mi a elemen .nrerids i h h tches to a bridge i s l n th-ant he; mama enlar e d receive the shoulder in the throughway opening,

the slot extending across the bridge-piece and for a substantial distance along each leg to divide the bridge-piece and the adjacent portions of the legs into two parallel U-shaped parts connected at the enlarged ends of the slot, and which strip has a pin-receiving aperture in the bridgepiece formed by the slot the edges of which appropriated to the two parts of the bridge-piece provide pin-engaging contacts supported respectively by the two parts of the two legs for resilient movement in the lateral direction of the strip by resilient separation of the parts of the legs by bending of the material around the enlarged ends of the slots, in which holder the notches are sprung into engagement with the shoulder thereby securing the contact elements to the body with the tag-like terminal elements projecting from the body.

4. An electrical socket contact element according to claim 1 in which portions of the bridgepiece at opposed positions along the edges of the slot therein are upset to provide an enlargement of the slot of concave arcuate form on each side thereof and to provide at said enlargements the aforesaid pin-engaging contacts.

5. An electrical socket contact element according to claim 1 in which the legs are bowed towards one another so as to define between the edges of the sections of the slot extending along the said legs a pin-receiving enclosure.

STANLEY THOMAS DEAKIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,771,094 MacFadden July 22, 1930 1,780,778 MacFadden Nov. 4, 1930 2,087,784 Schmitt July 20, 1937 2,109,770 Franklin Mar. 1, 1938 2,154,301 Clement Apr. 11, 1939 2,235,207 Eby Mar. 18, 1941 2,283,889 Gilbert May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 320,460 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1929 

